Govt to form inquiry commission on IHC judges letter issue
ISLAMABAD, (NNI): The federal government Wednesday announced to form an inquiry commission in response to allegations made by six Islamabad High Court (IHC) judges against interference in judicial affairs by the country's intelligence agencies.
Addressing the media alongside Attorney General of Pakistan Anwar Mansoor, Federal Minister for Law Azam Nazir Tarar said the federal government would place the letter from six IHC judges before the federal cabinet to constitute an inquiry commission.
Speaking after the meeting between PM Shehbaz Sharif and CJP Faez Essa, the law minister said the letter from the six IHC judges mentioned events "from the last year [and] with a regime which is no longer in the judicial corridors", adding that most of the allegations in the letter concerned the "tenure of the former chief justice of Pakistan".
He said CJP Isa had expressed a wish for the prime minister to have a talk with him on the matter and the latter had readily agreed to prioritise the issue over all others due to the seriousness of the development.
Tarar said the meeting's participants discussed the matter, as well as other important national affairs such as tax-related issues and fiscal matters.
"There was a discussion on different aspects of the matter considering its seriousness and it was also discussed that this has not happened for the first time and such voices have been raised before in history as well," the minister said, referring to the case of former IHC judge Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui.
"The prime minister point-blank said there will be no compromise on the independence of the judiciary." He added that the premier also reassured that it was the government's duty to ensure an investigation into the matter and that such allegations if they were true, did not reoccur in the future.
Tarar said that foremostly, there was a need to investigate the matter and said it was decided that the government would place the judges' letter before Friday's federal cabinet session and the prime minister would strive for a neutral, non-partisan and retired legal personality to be requested to head an inquiry commission and submit a report after investigating in accordance with the law.
The law minister said that PM Shehbaz also reassured that Pakistan was a constitutional organism in which all institutions performed their roles while remaining within their domains. "The premier reassured the chief justice and his judges that institutional interference should never happen and the government's obligations in this regard will be fulfilled." Tarar said PM Shehbaz also expressed his expectation that the institutions would not transgress their constitutional boundaries and domains.